I'm sure this lens will be well worth the cost to people in the right business, but when I saw the expected price a vision flashed in my head of a retiring photographer walking with his 1DX and 200-400 lens into a car dealer and trading straight up for a compact car.

-Brian

PS: I suppose the other side of that image would be an avid hobbyist (like myself) driving down to the local camera shop, leaving his keys on the counter and walking home with a new camera and lens!

$11,000 is a couple hundred dollars more than the combined price of the Nikon 200-400, a Nikon 1.4X TC and a D800 body at B&H. If Nikon introduces a "Pro" (16MP, 10FPS) DX D400 for $2300, that saves another $1000.

Logged

smirkypants

$11,000 is a couple hundred dollars more than the combined price of the Nikon 200-400, a Nikon 1.4X TC and a D800 body at B&H. If Nikon introduces a "Pro" (16MP, 10FPS) DX D400 for $2300, that saves another $1000.

+1Exactly Bob. I'm not the only one doing this math. This lens better be God's gift. Let's not forget, you can buy a Sigma 120-300/2.8 + 1.4x, which by all accounts is a crackin' combo + a brand spankin' new 1Dx (a 1Dx!!!) for less money than the 200-400/f4 1.4x

JasonInOregon

I don't buy the listed price. Haha. No pun intended. I bet it's a matter of setting cost expectations very high on purpose. When the very high expected price for a highly coveted item drops, it suddenly seems far more affordable, even though it is still very very expensive. That is my guess. Strategically thinking as a retailer. And maybe a little wishful thinking. Absolutely nothing to back it up.

But I bet it will come out priced somewhat lower than the $1100 we're hearing now (maybe $9900) and then it won't be long before it can be had around $8000-8500, hopefully by the end of the year. X-mas 2012, Santa, now you know what I want in my giant stocking!

It's still going to be a lot more than you would have to shell out for the Nikon version of a 200-400 and a TC add-on. However, it will have not just the great convenience of the built-in TC but it will also perform better, be sharper and faster, as a result of it's integration. Sure, it's still a small fortune, but it's everything I have been waiting for to complete my kit, which is based on the highest quality I can get while having the most focal length flexibility.

Of course, first I have to pony up for the new 24-70 II this summer before I can begin to think about the 200-400 1.4X. In fact, I bet a lot of folks will do just that and as a result, the price will almost certainly drop faster than expected for the 200-400 1.4X.